"I just don't have time to do everything I need to. I'm behind checking my e-mail. My voice mail is full. I'm constantly thinking about what I need to do!"
Sound familiar?
In his book, "The Myth of Multitasking: How Doing it All Gets Nothing Done," business coach Dave Crenshaw debunks the value of multitasking -- a habit he prefers to call "switchtasking."
"Research provides neurological evidence that the brain cannot effectively do two things at once," said Crenshaw. "Multitasking is a polite way of telling someone 'I haven't heard a word you've said.'"
Switchtasking, Crenshaw says, is a less effective and less efficient way to get things done.
"'Switching costs results when people must go back and review what they've done before they resume work on a task. The more complicated the task, the greater the cost," he said.
"Saying you are good at multitasking is like saying you're good at using a less effective method of getting things done," he concludes. "No matter how good you are at switchtasking, you will get less done than the person who focuses on one attention-requiring activity at a time."
Renee Marois of Vanderbilt University agrees. "We will never be able to overcome the inherent limitations in the brain for processing information while multitasking. It just can't be done, any more than the best of all humans will ever be able to run a one-minute mile," she writes.
